Warren R. Bailie

This paper presents the results of a recent watching brief and investigations conducted at Carzield Roman Fort, Kirkton, Dumfries and Galloway. This work was directed by the author on behalf of Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) and Scottish Water during improvements to domestic services within the fort area. The investigations on three service trenches (Trenches 1-3) revealed new evidence on the fort’s occupation and internal layout. The archaeological deposits included cobbled surfaces and ditch and gully features. The assemblage included Samian Ware, Black-burnished Ware, numerous metal objects including a javelin head and hobnails from a calceus Roman shoe. Building material included a fragment of an imbrex roof tile and a fragmented hypocaust tile from a bath house. The environmental analysis revealed evidence of wattle-and-daub structures in the rampart area of the fort as well as evidence of arable food resources. The AMS date range for the deposits dated was cal AD 2 to 257 (at 2 sigma calibration; 2 σ hereafter) with the exception being an Early Iron Age date of 847 to 767 cal BC (at 2 σ). This earlier date, although a result of re-deposition in Roman layers, is indicative of redeposition of material from earlier human activity in the vicinity of these excavations. The median value for the Roman dates is 18-214 cal AD (at 2 σ). The date range coupled with the artefactual evidence reaffirms the Roman occupation of the fort in the Antonine period with some evidence of occupation prior to and following this occupation, based on this most recent work and previous analyses.